Construction of subaqueous structures



Patented A11-g. 11., 1891.

(No Model.)

R. HUNT. CONSTRUCTION OF SUBAQUEOUS STRUCTURES. No. 457,438.

VUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RANDELL HUNT, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CONSTRUCTION oF sUBAQUEoUs sTaRucTuREs.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 457,438, dated August 11, 1891.

' Application led February 17,1891. Serial No. 381,754. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: n

Be it known that I, RANDELL HUNT, of the city of San Francisco, in the county of vSan Francisco and State of California, have invented a new and useful Means of Constructing Continuous Subaqueous Structures; and I hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to provide a means for constructing subaqueous structures, and particularly for buildin g continuous sea-walls, so that the masonry of which they are built may be laid freely in the open air, while at the same time the structures will be continuous ones without breaks or joints other than Athe ordinary .joints of stone or brick masonry, or if built of concrete deposited in place that they shall be complete monolit-hic structures from end to end.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a cross-section of a caisson containing a length of wall sunk into position. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the end of two lengths of Wallin position ready to be connected into a continuous Wall.l Fig. 3 is a portion of an end elevation of Fig. 2, showing joint-strip between supporting platforms or grillages. Fig. 4C is a cross-section of an enlarged View of a portion of the coffer-dam.

The following is a description of the application of my invention:

A section of the wal-l is first built within a floating caisson A, the bottom of which is composed of the timbers forming the grillage or supporting-platform B, upon which the wall is to rest when placed upon its foundation of piles or other material. The sides a and ends of this caisson may be built of timber and secured to the bottom B by eyebolts a3, which'arelooped over hooks a2, as shown by Fig. l. The lower edge of the caisson sides ,is provided with a joint-strip of rubber or other suitable material 0,. As the masonry composing the wall is built in place within the above-described caisson, it gradually sinks until it reaches its prepared foundation of piles or other materials. The supporting-platform or grillage B for another section of wall is now constructed and iioated into the place required. The sides and ends of the caisson in which the first section of Wall was sunk are unhooked and detached from its bottom and secured above the oating platform of the second section. Vhen the tide rises, the buoyancy of the bottom presses it with great force against the joint-strip a', which, being of fieXible material,.is forced 'into all the inequalities of the surface of the bottom B, and a perfectly-tight joint is thereby formed. During the time that the rising tide is exerting a pressure against the bottom B the hooks a2 and eyebolts as are engaged, thereby securely fastening the bottom to the caisson sides and ends. A complete iioating caisson is thus made similar to that in which the first section of wall was constructed. Another section of the Wall is now built in a similar manner to the first and settled upon its foundation, which is a continuation and immediately adjoining vthat-of the first section of wall previously constructed. This second section is so guided in its descent that the supporting platform or grillage B, forming the bottom of the caisson in which it is built, presses close against the platform or grillage B of the first section. Upon the edge of the timbers forming the supporting platform or grillage B of either the first or second sections is placed a joint-strip of rubber or other suitable material b, so that when the platforms of the two sections press against each other a Water-tight joint is made between them. This joint-strip is easiest and best placed upon the edge of the supporting platforms or grillages before they are sunk under the water.

During the construction of a section of wall within a oating caisson, as just described, I place near the ends of the wall, on both its face and back, joint-strips D, which may be embedded in the masonry, if necessary, and which extend from the platforms B up to and above high-water mark after the wall is sunk in place.

The iioating caisson being free from Water on the inside makes a convenient means for placing these joint-strips D D, whilempon their edge may be fastened a strip of rubber or other suitable material.

The means for connecting separate sections of wall together is as follows: After two sections of the wall are in place and the sides structure.

and ends of the caissons have been removed I 'construct sides, partitions, or Cotter-dams. C C upon the top of the supporting platforms B B, which have been joined together, as above described, and rest these sides orcoffer-dams against the joint-strips D D in the ends of the wall. The bottom edge of the coffer-dams or sides makes a water-tight joint with the supporting platforms or grilla-ges B B by means of a joint-strip c', of rubber or other suitable material. The sides or coffer-dams C C also make tight joints Where they rest against the joint-strips D D, because of the aforesaidstrip of rubber or other suitable material at those places, and against which they press with considerable force as soon as an excess head of water Von the outside of the sides or colferdams is obtained by pumping out that on the inside. The space between the two sections of wall as thus lconnected and coffer-dam med can then be :pumped dry and masonry built up within and joined and bonded to the two sections :previously constructed, making the connection complete from the supportingplatforms or grillages up to the top of the wall and making the wall a continuous In this manner a third section of the wall can be constructed, the space be-I tween it and the second section can simila-rly Ibe .Cotter-dammed, and the masonry of the .second and third sections bonded and joined together, and so on the construction of any length of wallrequired can be attained which shall be a complete continuous struct-V ure, all of which has been constructed freely in open air, thus avoiding' the disadvantages2 of constructing mason-ry under water.

I am aware that caissons of various forms hav-ebeen ,employed in construotin g portions necting coffer-dams, substantially as shown and described; f

2. As a means for connecting two detached sections of wall founded below water, the

combination of a coder-dam with said detached sections of wall, substantially as shown and described.

3. Asameans for makingawater-tiglit joint between the ends of supporting-platforms of structures founded below water, the combination of a joint-strip of rubberor other suitable material with the supporting-platforms, substantially as shown and described.

4. As a means for constructing continuous structures founded below water, the combination, with a caisson having a platform or grillage, of a joint-strip to form awater-tight joint between itself andV another platform `or grillage,substantially as shown and described.

5. As a means for -constructing continuous structures vfounded below water, the combination of platforms or grillages provided with .a joint strip -or strips between them and supporting each a section of structure vto be joined and connected into a continuous construction, and a partition or coe-r-dam ternr,porarily connecting theseetions on Aeach side of the dividing space between the sections j yand resti-ng upon and forminga joint with the supporting platforms or grillages, substantially as shown and described.

6. As a means `for constructing continuous structuresV founded below water, the lcombination-of platforms or grillages, each'suppo-rlting a section of a structure to be connected into a continuous construction, each of said sections being provided with a suitable jointstrip D, and a partition or coffer-dam tempo- -rarily connecting the sections en each side-ef the dividing-space and forming joints with the joint-strips D Aon the sections, and also 7at the lower edge of said partitions by jointstrips c -with the plat-forms lor gri'llages, substantially as described and shown.

RANDELL HUNT.

\V`it.nesses:

JAMES L. KING, W. W. SANDERsoN. 

